Would the demo be the right choice for me to look into...more inside

I'm in the market for a new FR/DH rig. I love FR'ding, parks, hucks/jumps and starting to seriously look into DH racing now. Unfortunately I cannot afford a FR specific and DH specific bike separately. I'm looking for my one all does all (and yes can pedal). My original choices were either an Intense Uzzi or IH 7point. Many are also telling me to consider the Demo. Both the Uzzi and 7point are great FR bikes (that pedal relatively easily) but many have issues with BB height and/or HA of both bikes for DH racing.

Since I'm new to Demos, I was curious on what people thought considering the type of bike I'm looking for. I'm also trying to research as much as I can in parallel. I would need the bike to be able to pedal as well. Is the Demo more FR or DH oriented or a good mixture of both that can do well in either scenario?

Lastly, given I'm a Demo newbie...what is the big difference between and Demo 7 and 8?

Hi jut8 -
Yes I've given it a quick thought. While it's more versatile and climbs well...from what I gathered it wouldn't fit the bill if I were to race DH. Granted I'm not a hardcore DH racer (at least not yet), however I'm looking for a bike that would do well in it (that is not already a DH specific race bike) and one that will let me do FR, parks, jumps/hucks.

Hi jut8 -
Yes I've given it a quick thought. While it's more versatile and climbs well...from what I gathered it wouldn't fit the bill if I were to race DH. Granted I'm not a hardcore DH racer (at least not yet), however I'm looking for a bike that would do well in it (that is not already a DH specific race bike) and one that will let me do FR, parks, jumps/hucks.

The SXT would fit your bill perfect and it can be raced look at Jeremy R's bike Blue Demon. Great setup.Blue Demon!!

In my experience with racing, most of the courses I've experienced aren't too crazy difficult or technical. The Demo 8 would be the best racing choice, but in terms of rear travel and the strength of the bike, I think the Demo 7 or the SX Trail would work fine.